Lasting-machine



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LASTING MACHINE. No. 510,973. Patented Dec. 19, 1893.

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No. 510,973 Patented 1m. 19,1893.

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INVENTU FQ! saermanw d UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SHERMAN W. LADD, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNQR TO THE CONSOLIDATED HAND METHOD LASTING MACHINE COMPANY,

OF NASHUA,-NEW HAMPSHIRE.

LASTING-TMAQCHINE'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 510,973, dated December 19, 1893. Application filed December 13, 1890. Serial No. 374,554. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SHERMAN W. LADD, of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Lasting-Machines, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is

7 Figs. 2, 3, and 4. Fig. 9 is a side elevation representing a portion of the machine frame and pinchers mechanism and fully the pinchers opening and closing mechanism and pinchers lifting and lowering mechanism. Fig. 10 is an end elevation of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 represcuts a section on line, 11, 11, of Fig. 10. Fig.

12 is an elevation partly in section on line 12, 12, (Fig. 11.) Fig. 13 is an elevation partly in section on line,,l3, 13, of Fig. 9. Fig. let is a cross section on line, 14, 14, of Fig. 13. Fig. 15 is a plan view of substantially the same parts shown in Fig. 9.

The mechanism described in this specification is designed to readily combine with the machine described in specification of Letters Patent No. 423,922 and further modified, as set forth in applications for Letters Patent filed in the United States Patent Oifice by me,

Serial Nos. 372,233 and 374,166. In this specification such parts only of the machine are shown and described as are necessary in order to present clearly the construction and arrangement of parts embodying this invention, as also the connection and relation of such parts with. the machine, as a whole.

For a description of the parts not. shown and described herein, as also for a description of the operations of the machine, as a Whole, and consequently for abetter understanding pinchers.

of the matters described and claimed in this specification, reference may be had to the Letters Patent No. 423,922 and the modifications thereof set forth in the applications for Letters Patent herein referred to.

It may be here stated that in carrying out the work of lasting boots and shoes on themachine to which this invention relates, the shoe is prepared for lasting by first putting the upper on to the last, drawing it over at the toe, and preferably at the sides also and there securing it with tacks or other fastening devices. It is then taken in hand by the workman and held up to the machine in position for commencing the work. The edge of the last with its upper is pressed against a uidepiece with the edge of the upper turned or bent inward over the last, all this to the end that it maybe in position for the bite of the The shoe is supported and turned by the hands of the workman and in order that the shoe may be easily held in position, while the pinchers aredrawiug and stretching the upper over the last, a rest is provided. The shoe is pressed upward against the rest and the position of the rest is such that when the shoe is pressed upward against the same, with its edge bearing against the guide-piece, the upper will be in position for the pinchers to come forward and clasp the inturned edge of the upper. The pinchers are made to seize, draw and strain upward, the shoe upper, lay it over the bottom of the last and hold it down toreceive the fastening tack and also perform the proper plaiting of the upper at the heel and too or other places, as required. A single pair of pinchers is employed and the lasting is done thereby progressively.

It. will be understood that acompound motion is required of the pinchers mechanism;

first, the pinchers mechanism, as a whole, must be lowered into position for seizing the edge,

of the upper and then lifted to strain and stretch the upper over the last. To this end the pinchers mechanism is supported on one end of a pivoted, tilting lever, 18. The connection is made by a ball and socket joint, or other connection permitting lateral and frontto-rear swinging movements of the pinchers mechanism for plaiting and laying the upper down into position for receiving the tack or fastening device by which it is secured to the inner sole. For a description of these swinging movements and the mechanism whereby the same are effected, see Letters Patent No. 423,922. It will be observed by reference to the drawings, that in this present instance, the pinchers mechanism is supported upon a lever, 18,011 one side of the pivotal point thereof and the tilting mechanism is applied to the lever on the opposite side of the pivotal point. In respect to the use of a single lever, 18, the pinchers mechanism supported on one end thereof, and the operating mechanism applied to the opposite end thereof, the machine represented in the accompanying drawings, is a' departure from the machine represented in Letters Patent No. 423,922. For a description of these particular parts, the functions performed thereby, and the relation and combination thereof, with the machine, reference is had to an application for Letters Patent therefor filed by me in the United States Patent Office, Serial No. 374,166.

closing the pinchers jaws.

Obviously, the pincher jaws must be made to ,open and close for seizing upon, holding and releasing the upper and it is to the particular mechanism of the machine whereby these movements of the pincher-jaws are effected that my present invention specifically relates. The pinchers mechanism proper is represented in Figs. 2, 3,4, 5,6, 7, and8in the accompanying drawings. The shank, 13, carries the outer fixed jaw, 14, and is grooved,

longitudinally, (Fig. 4,) to receive shank, 15, which carries the jaw, 16. A collar, 17, is fixed to the shank, 13, and holds shank, 15, in pla ce,but allows a vertical movement thereof necessaryfor opening and closingthe pinchers jaws. Tho shank, 13, has on its top end a ball which is made to enter a corresponding socket formed in the end of the pinchers tilting lever, 18, all this to the end that the pinchers mechanism may be supported and reciprocated vertically by the lever, 18, and permit swinging movements, laterally. The pinchers jaws are opened and closed by liftingand depressing the shank, 15. To this end, a collar, R, is mounted to permit reciprocating, longitudinal movements on the pinchers-shank, 13. The pinchers-shank, 15, is secured to and movable with the collar, B, so that a movement of the collar, R, in one direction, effects a movement of the shank, 15, for opening the pinchers jaws, while a movement of the collar, R, in a reverse direction, effects a movement of the shank, 15, for To this end, it is desirable to have a firm and solid connection between the collar, R, and shank, 15 and in securing this connection, I have had in mind the lar, R, is provided with shoulder, N, (Fig. 4) against which the top end of shank, 15, is made to bear, as shown. Said collar is further provided with an opening, 4, (Fig. 8,) through which is introduced a binding clip, 6, (Fig. 4.) This clip isshown on an enlarged scale in Figs. 6 and 7. It has an opening, 8, to receive the pinchers-shank and is provided with a beveled face, 9, and adapted to bear on a counter bevel formed on the pinchersshank, 15, as shown in Fig. 4. Said clip has a screw-threaded tang that projecting outwardly through the collar, R, receives suitably threaded check nuts, (Fig. 4.) By an obvious turn of one of said nuts, the clip is made to bind upon and hold the shank, 15, firmly to the collar, R, forcing it, by reason of the inclined or beveled face, 9, upwardly and solidly against the shoulder, N, whereupon a suitable movement of the other nut, operates tohold the parts from working loose.

In practice I have found that this construction is not only convenient'and economical, but it is also more durable and increases the wearing capacity of the parts over any other form of construction I have been able to apply or devise for this purpose.

In Letters Patent No. 423,922 the mechanism described and employed for depressing the pinchers-shank, 15 to grasp and hold the shoe upper, consists of spring-actuated levers. To that end the levers are made to bear downwardly against the shank, 15, the shank being moved against the tension of the lever-aotuating springs for opening the pinchersfjaws and the opening force being suddenly withdrawn, the shank is suddenly depressed by the action of said springs and held depressed for seizing and holding the lever. In the practical use of that machine, some difficulties have arisen; first, the pinchers-jaws being forced together suddenly, often mar and not unfrequently positively out or otherwise damage the material of the shoe upper, more especially the finer qualities of leather; then, too, the jar and pounding, incident to the sudden closing together of the pinchers-jaws, strainand break the pinchers-jaws from their shanks. This liability to break from their shanks the pinchers-jaws, I have endeavored to obviate by having due regard to the selection and temper of the metals used, as also in the way of constructing the jaws, as'respects their angle of attachment or inclination to the respective pinchers-shanks, but I have not heretofore succeeded in so far overcoming the difficulty, but that the breakage amounts, in the aggregate, to a large burden of expense and consequent delays in the continuous operation of the machine.

In this, my present invention, I have obviated the difficulties referred to by dispensing with the spring-actuated-pincher-clos ing levers and the consequent sudden closing together of the pinchers-jaws and substituting in place thereof the pinchers-jaws operating mechanism wherein is embodied the main feature of this, my present invention and which'lwillnowproceed to describe.

In carrying out this part of my invention, I have had in mind the necessity of compressing the pinchers-jaws, causing them to firmly hold the leather while it is being stretched and strained about the last and laid over and down upon the inner sole in a plaited or other form for receiving the lasting tack. I have alsohad in mind the necessity of having the pinchers act quickly in order to permit such arapid operation of the machine as would make its use profitable. I have further considered the liability of the pinchers jaws to out or otherwise damage the leather ot' the shoe upper and I have found, in practical use of the machine, provided with the pinchersjaw-operating mechanism, I am now to describe, that the diliiculties and objections referred to as incident to the machine constructed according to Letters Patent No.

423,922, are practically obviated.

In carrying out my invention, I have had to make provision for the vertical reciprocating movement as well as the front-to-rear and lateral swinging movements of the pinohersmechanism as a whole, and I have furtherdesigned the pinchers-jawsoperating mechanism to be readily combined with the machine of Letters Patent No. 423,922. To this end I provide a shaft, 19, which is journaled to permit rocking movements in its supporting journals of the machine head. On this ere-jaws.

shaft is supported the lever, 18. Said lever supports, on one end, the pinchers mechanism, it being, for that purpose, connected with the pinchers-shank, 13, by a universal joint connection to permit the necessary front-torear and lateral swinging movements of the pinchers. Connected with the opposite end of the lever, 18, is the operating mechanism for tilting the lever to lower and lift the pinchers.

It will be understood that a movement of the pinchers shank, 15, in one direction, operates to open and a movement thereof, in the opposite direction, operates to close the pinch- These movements are imparted to the pinchers-shank l5 from a reciprocating driver, 24, with which the pinchers-shank is connected in a mannerto permit the necessary swinging movements of the pinchers thimblenut, 26.

mechanism. As shown in the accompanying drawings, the driver, 24, is provided with a screw-threaded bore in which it receives and supports the correspondingly screw-threaded At the bottom of this bore in the driver is formed a shoulder, 29. Above this shoulder, within the driver and its nut,

is a plunger, 27, provided with an enlarged head end to engage and bear upon the shoulder, 29, intermittently, and further provided with a tang which extends upwardly through a suitable hole in the nut, 26, as shown fully in Fig. 13. This arrangement permits longitudinal, reciprocating movements of the plunger. Partlyin the driver, 24, and partly in the plunger,2'7, is formed asocket to receive a ball 011 the end of link, S, and on the opposite end of said link isa ball that fits in acorrespondingly formed socket in the pinchers-shank collar, B, (Fig. 4.) 1 Obviously, a movement of the driver, in one direction, will be transmitted through the link, S, and collar, R, to and move upwardly the pinohers-shank, 15, and open the pinchers jaws. At all times the pinchers are permitted swinging movements by reason of the described jointed connections. An obverse movement of the driver will effect a downward movement of the pinchers-shank and close the pinchers-jaws- It is desirable to have the pinchers-jaws close upon the upper interposed between them with force sufficient for holding the upper during the stretching, straining and plaiting operations. It is necessary, however, to develop and apply this holding force to the interposed leather withon tstraining and possibly breaking the pinch ers-jaws from their respective supporting shanks; then too consideration must be made to have the pinohers-jaws automatically conformable to the varying thickness of leather as it appearsin diderent parts of the shoe upper so as to grip the successive parts with a com paratively uniform pressu re which pressure is limited, as hereinafter described,so as to hold without cuttingor otherwise damaging the leather. To this end I employ a coiled spring, 28, (Fig. 13.) Thisspring is interposed between the nut, 26, and head of plunger, 27, so as to normally hold the plunger in bearing contact with shoulder, 29, of the driver, 24. During the downward movement of the driver for closing the pinchersjaws this spring, moving with the driver, retains the plunger in bearing contact with shoulder, 29, against the resisting force incident to the frictional resistance of the downwardly moving pinchers-shank, 15, and thus co-operates with the driver in bringing the pinchers-jaws to bear upon the upper interposed between the same. At this point the driver, continuing, forces the pinchers-jaws together, in orderto apply the holding force. In this latter movement of the driver, the spring, 28 participates until a resistance is developed in the compressed leather which, acting upwardly, through the pinchers-shank, overcomes the normal tension of spring, 28, whereupon the spring, contracting, operates to take up further movement of the driver and apply the gripping force, yieldingly, so as, to maintain the necessary hold' upon the leather and relieve the pinchers-jaws from being unduly strained and the leather from being abnormally compressed. In practice I have obtained the best results from a spring made of a temper and length to permit being contracted to some considerable extent between the nut, 26 and plunger, 27, so as to in a condition of normal tension about equal to what it is necessary to apply as a gripping force upon the leather, to the end that the pinchers may be brought rapidly together down to the point of contact with the leather and then the gripping force applied without much further movemeutof the driver. Thisarrangement permits the spring to be contracted so as to develop a condition of normal tension therein suited to the average thickness of the class of'leather on which the machine is adj usted to operate, at any particular time and accommodates the pinchers in the necessary variations of thickness that appear in the leather of a given class or character. Then, too, I have found that a spring, subjected to a condition of normal tension by contracting the same, is more sensitive in applying the holding force and more responsive to the demands of the mechanism in order to avoid breakage thereof or damage to the leather.

The mechanism represented in the accompanying drawings, for imparting the reciprocating movements to driver, 24, is one that I have devised with due regard to its adaptability for connecting with and operating in the machine referred to and it is on this account, mainly, that I have adopted the mechanism of particularform and component parts herein represented. To this end, the driver, 24, is connected to and supported by the arm, 23, (Fig. 13.) Said arm is supported on the horizontal shaft, 22, to which shaft the arm is fixed so that a partial rotation of the shaft, in one direction, lifts and, in the opposite direction, depresses the driver, 24. The arm,

- 23, is preferably secured to the shaft, 22, by

adjustable connections, such as the set screw 122, Figs. .9, 13, and 15, to the end that it may be adjusted, upon the shaft so as to give the desired normal position to driver, 24, in relation to the pinchers mechanism. Shaft, 22, is supported, at one end, in a boss, or arm, extended from the lever, 18, and at its opposite end, in the extended head portion of pivot-shaft, 19, all this to the end that the shaft, 22, and consequently the driver, 24, may accompany the tilting movements of lever, 18, for lifting and depressing the pinchers mechanism, as a whole. To this end, also the pinchers lifting lever, 18, is fixed securely on the shaft, 19. On the shaft, 22, is a collar, 34, arranged to permit rotary movement on the shaft and provided with a clamp-screw, for securing fixed connection between the collar and shaft. On the shaft, 22, is a spring, 32, one end of which bears upon the lever, 18, and the opposite end of which bears against thecollar, 34, as shown in Fig. 15. It is the action of this spring, thus arranged, which operates,through the collar, 34,a partial revolution of shaft, 22, for lifting the driver, 24, and opening the pinchers-jaws. An obvious adjustment of collar, 34, permit-s any degree of normal tension being developed in spring, 32, that may be required for this purpose. On the machine main shaft, D, is a fixed cam,

40, Figs. 1, 9 and 10 which engages with a roller carried by the lower end of arm,36, the top end of which arm is connected with shaft, 22, by clamp-screws which permit the arm to be adjusted, rotatively, on said shaft, but have a fixed connection therewith during the working of the machine. The cam, 40, is held in contact with the end of arm, 36, by the normal action of spring, 32, which, opening the pinchers-jaws,constantly holds the end of lever, 36, in bearing contact with the cam. Said cam is formed so as to lift the lever-arm, 36, and thereby rotate the shaft, 22, against the normal action of spring, 32, and thus compelling a down ward movementof the driver, Whenever it is desired, for closingthe pinchers-jaws and applying the holding pressure and then again to release the arm, 36, allowing it to drop and the spring, 32,an opportunity to act for opening the pinchers-jaws, as occasion requires.

In the operationof the machine, the pinchers supporting lever,18, is depressed for lowering the pinchers into position to seize the upper. During this movement,- the pinchersjaws are held open by action of the spring, 32, and the pinchers are given a swinging movement to bring the overturned or bent edge of the upper between the pinchers-jaws. At this moment cam, 40, acts upon the arm, 36, and lifting the same, eifects a partial revolution of the shaft, 22, and depresses the driver, 24, thereby closing the pinchers-jaws together. By a suitable formation of the'cam, 40, as illustrated in Fig. 10 the pinchers-jaws are made to close, rapidly, up to the point of contact with the leather, whereupon the cam, acting further, continues the downward move.- ment of driver, 24, so as to further close the pinchers-jaws and apply the holding force against the yielding tension of spring, 28. This condition is maintained by the cam, during the stretching, straining, plaiting, or otherwise pulling and manipulating the leather 1 and bringing it down into position for receiving the fastening tack. At the proper moment, the cam releases its lift upon the arm, 36, and allows the pinchersjaws to be opened by the spring, 32. I prefer to form the bot- 1 tom face of plunger, 27, so as to receive and hold, loosely, the ball-end of link, S, as shown in Fig. 13, in order to prevent the ball from being unduly cramped by the action of spring,

ing movements of the pinchers mechanism, as a whole. As shown in the accompanying drawings, the machine is provided with a torsional spring for operating the tack-driving mech-. anism. This spring and its connection in the machine, are fully described in my application forl'Lptters Patent therefor, Serial No. 374,555.

28, and thus interfere with the lateral, swing- 1. In a lasting machine, the combination of ers, a cam for positively moving the said driver independently of the lever 18, substantially as set forth.

2. In a lasting machine, the combination of the tilting lever, 18, which supports the pinchers mechanism, mechanism for tilting such lever to move the pinchers as a whole, a driver connected with the movable jaw of the pinchers, a cam for positively movingthe said jaw to move it toward the fixed jaw, and a spring interposed between the driver and the movable jaw, substantially as set forth.

In a lasting machine, the combination of the tilting lever, 18, which supports the pinchers mechanism, mechanism for tilting such lever to move the pinchers as a whole, a driver connected with the movable jaw of thepinchers, a cam which positively moves the said driver to carry the movable jaw toward the fixed jaw, a spring interposed between the driver and the movable jaw, and a spring adapted to open or separate the jaws, substantially as set forth.

4. In a lasting machine, the combination of the tilting lever from which the pinchers mechanism is supported, the driver for moving the movable jaw of the pinchers, the rock shaft 22, supported to one side of and in bearings projected from the lever, 18, and

connected with the movable jaw driver, and means for rocking the shaft, 22, substantially as set forth.

5. In a lasting machine and in combination withthe movable jaw of the lasting pinchers, the driver, 24, a cam for positively moving the driver in one direction to close the pinchers and a spring for moving the driverin the other direction for opening the pinchers, substantially as'de'scribed.

6. In a lasting machine, the combinationof the tilting, pinchers-supporting lever, 18, the pinchers mechanism, jointed to and supported on saidlever, the reciprocating head 24:, connected with the movable pinchers-jaw, the shaft, 22, supported to permit tilting movements,in unison with the lever, 18, and means for rocking the said shaft, 22, substantially as and for the purposes described.

7; In a lasting machine, the combination of the pinchers-shank, 15, the collar, R, the binding clip, 6, and clamp-nut, substantially as described;

Signed at Boston this 1st day of November, A. D. 1890.

Witnesses:

JOHN TIER-NEY, C. B. TUTTLE.

SHERMAN w. LADD. 

